Influencer marketing. You may have heard the term floating around online, or perhaps you were looking for digital marketing near me, or a social media marketing agency has suggested it for your business. But what exactly is it? Should you be using it? Where do you even start? Let’s dive into the basics of this marketing method and how to implement it into your social media strategy.

What Is Influencer Marketing?

Influencer marketing, in short, is the digital marketing method of using an individual with a significant following to advertise your product or services to their audience for some kind of compensation via social media. With influencers, there are typically 4 types: Nano (< one thousand), Micro (one thousand -one hundred thousand), Macro (one hundred thousand - one million), and Mega (> one million). Some influencers (sometimes referred to as content creators) only accept monetary compensation, but many smaller creators will often accept free products and a discount code. With discount codes, the creator will usually receive a small commission or store credit for each purchase made with their personal code. If you are looking for digital marketing near me, influencing marketing is a great way to organically grow your followers if you choose the right influencer and audience.

How Do I Choose an Influencer?

Choosing your creator is critical. You may be inclined to contact your favorite celebrity with one million followers, however, bigger is not always better! In fact, small to medium follower counts in your niche are what you should be aiming for, as they usually have higher engagements. Still feeling lost? Here’s our social media marketing agency checklist. You should be choosing creators who...

1. Share Your Audience - Make sure they post frequently about topics your customers also enjoy. Ex. If you sell books, pick a creator known for their book reviews! If your audience is under 35, you’ll want the creator to be active on Instagram and TikTok. If your audience is mostly 35+, you may want to focus on Facebook as well.
2. Feels Attainable - The higher the number of followers the creator has, the less likely they will be open to non-monetary compensation and smaller pay. For example, say you’re a small business. You may want to reach out to a famous athlete to try your new gym wear line. However, unless you are Nike, chances are you’ll be snubbed or billed thousands, or even millions, of dollars! Make sure the number of followers an influencer has are within your budget.
3. Have High Engagement - Engagement is the rate at which followers interact with the creator. You’ll want to see a healthy amount of comments, comments from the creator, polls, etc. Most importantly, make sure the creator is getting adequate views on their posts. An influencer could have one billion followers, but very few views on their content. Bagging an influencer campaign means little if no one is seeing it!

How Do I Make This Happen?

It might sound scary contacting someone who is internet famous, but if you follow these simple steps, you’ll be set.

1. Reach Out - Do some digging and find out their email. Most Influencers will have this listed in their bios on their social platforms, whether written out or within their Linktree. Be friendly, yet to the point. Let them know you enjoy their videos and tell them a bit about your company and products. Extend an offer for a free product and a discount code. Making a template for this will also make things easier in the long run!
2. Discuss Compensation - If the creator comes back requesting compensation, then you can negotiate. Look into your budget, the creator’s past view counts, and what type of content you want from them. Instagram stories will be the cheapest, while Instagram posts, TikTok, and full YouTube videos will cost more. Many higher-profile influencers have ready-to-go press kits that will help in this process.
3. Make A Discount Code - Discount codes are highly recommended as not only do they offer an incentive for buyers and influencers, they enable a way for you to track sales from the campaign. Shopify has a great way to track this.

Red Shark Digital | Digital Marketing Near Me

Influencer marketing provides a tailor-made, active, audience to your brand through someone they trust. A whopping 49 percent of consumers lean on influencers’ reviews of products. That’s nearly half of your audience! Whether you’re selling makeup or motorcycles, with the help of our social media marketing agency, we’ll make sure none of those leads slip through the cracks. When searching for the best digital marketing near me, trust Red Shark Digital to take you to the top with our research-based digital marketing tactics. For more information about our social media marketing agency, visit our website or contact us today!